Images: ABE—The Autonomous Benthic Explorer

ABE can image the seafloor in a variety of ways on a variety of scales. A bathymetric map from the Lau Basin off Fiji covers an area of about 0.6 by 0.37 miles (1 by 0.6 kilometers), showing mounds, fissures, and hydrothermal vent spires with a resolution of about 3 feet (1 meter). (Courtesy of Dana Yoerger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

A photomosaic taken by ABE of a smaller area from the Lau Basin shows geological details and individual animals, such as clams, mussels, and snails. (Courtesy of Dana Yoerger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)